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ELECTORAL REGISTRATION

The Register of Electors

• The Register of Electors is a list of names and addresses of those who are qualified to vote at different elections and referendums.

• It is updated and re-published annually on 1st December after the annual household canvass.

• After the new Register of Electors has been produced for the year it is updated monthly from January - September.

• There are no updates to the register in the two months prior to the publication of the revised Register.

• By law the Electoral Registration Officer must produce two versions of the register: The Electoral Register and The Open Register.

 

Registering to Vote

• You can register to vote any time online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
  
  
• You will need your National Insurance Number and Date of Birth to complete an application.
  
  
• If you have lost your National Insurance Number you can phone the National Insurance helpline on: 0300 200 3500. They will not provide your details over the phone but they will post them to you.
  
  
• It only takes a couple of minutes to complete an online application.
  
  
• If you live in Orkney, you can call 01856 876222 to get through to a member of the Electoral Registration Team in the Orkney Electoral Registration Office to help you with this process.
  
  
• If you live in Shetland, you can call 01595 745700 to get through to a member of the Electoral Registration Team in the Shetland Electoral Registration Office to help you with this process.

 

How do I check if I am registered to vote?

• You cannot check online to see if you are registered to vote - the Register of Electors for each area is not published online.

• To find out if you are registered in Orkney you can call 01856 876222 to get through to a member of the Electoral Registration Team in Orkney.

• To find out if you are registered in Shetland you can call 01595 745700 to get through to a member of the Electoral Registration Team in Shetland.

 

Am I eligible to vote?

• You can register if you are aged 14 years or over for the address at which you currently reside - this is your permanent place of residence, not a temporary place of residence such as a second home or holiday home and you are:

• a British, Irish or EU Citizen
• a qualifying Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or who doesn’t require such leave
• a qualifying foreign national who has leave to enter or remain in the UK or who does not require such leave


• Registered voters can vote in Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government elections when they are 16 years old. When a registered voter is 18 years of age they can vote at European and Westminster Parliamentary elections if they are a British or Commonwealth citizen. Registered voters who are not a British or Commonwealth citizen are not entitled to vote at Westminster Parliamentary elections

• More information available at: https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/can-i-vote/who-can-register-to-vote

 

Special Category Electors

Please click on the below links to get more information about the following:

• Overseas Voters (British Citizens living overseas) https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/can-i-vote/overseas

• Armed Forces (Service Voters) https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote-armed-forces

• People with no fixed address https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-you-havent-got-a-fixed-or-permanent-address

• Anonymous Registration https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/register-to-vote/register-to-vote-anonymously

 

Absent Voting

 

• We are currently updating our website following changes in the way you apply for absent votes, which came into effect on 31 October 2023. At  this time more details on the processes are available from the Electoral Commission at  www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter

   

   

 

Annual Canvass

• Every year it is mandatory for the Electoral Registration Officer to conduct a household canvass in their area to update the information on the Electoral Register.

• Household Enquiry Forms are sent to all households to request up-to-date information and they must be completed.

• This normally takes place between July - November.

• All information gathered is published in the 1 December Electoral Register.

 

Change of Name

If your name has changed since you registered you can change your details by completing a Change of Name Form which you can download, print off, complete and return to the relevant office address stated below.

For further information: